Westmoreland happenings: Fishing derby, strawberry festival, pork and sauerkraut dinner, more
Art • Latrobe Art Center will host an opening reception for the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society’s annual member exhibit “Waterworks” at 2 p.m. April 27 at the center, 819 Ligonier St., Latrobe. Light appetizers and refreshments will be served, and many of the artists will be on hand. The exhibit will...
Pine-Richland students earn trip to Robotics World Championship
Four Pine-Richland students earned a bid to the FIRST Robotics World Championship April 17-20 in Houston, Texas. Senior Ryan Scott, junior Prisha Dargan, and eighth graders Piya Dargan and Keerthana Visveish compete through BrainSTEM Learning on the Giant Diencephalic BrainSTEM Robotics Team, named for a part of the human brain....
American Lung Association ranks Pittsburgh metro area among nation’s most polluted
The American Lung Association ranked the Pittsburgh metro area among the worst in the nation for pollution in a report released Tuesday. The annual ‘State of the Air’ report named the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton metro area one of the worst in the nation for year-round particle pollution. The Pittsburgh metro area...
Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with ethnic intimidation incidents on North Side
Pittsburgh police have arrested a Perry North man in connection with several ethnic intimidation incidents reported in April in the city’s Mexican War Streets neighborhood. Mario J. Ashkar, 36, was charged with ethnic intimidation, criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking and disorderly conduct, according to court documents. An unnamed victim...
‘Flora’ statue unveiled as Pittsburgh’s 1st to depict woman of color
Pittsburgh officials on Tuesday unveiled the newest addition to the city’s art collection: a bronze sculpture in the Highland Park entry garden. The statue, part of the city’s Art in Parks program, is the first to depict a woman of color in the city’s art collection. Titled “Flora,” the statue...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured in Homewood West shooting; Hartwood Acres brush fire under investigation
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, April 24: 1 injured in Homewood West shooting One person was injured and two others were detained after a shooting Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Homewood West neighborhood. Police responded to a one-round ShotSpotter alert in the 6900 block of...
The Stroller, April 24, 2024: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Taste of Two Towns event to benefit Oakmont Carnegie Library Oakmont...
Police regionalization on the table in Kiski Township ahead of Southern Armstrong presentation
Kiski Township is the latest municipality to consider folding its police force into the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department. Southern Armstrong police officers and the department’s commissioners will hold an information session with Kiski Township police Chief Lee Bartolicius at 7 p.m. Monday at the Kiski Township Municipal Building. The...
Mustello wins rematch of 2020 Republican primary to hold state House seat in Butler County
A rematch of the 2020 Republican primary for a state House seat in Butler County had the same result. State Rep. Marci Mustello, R-Butler Township, defeated challenger Ryan Covert of Oakland Township by a wide margin for the party’s nomination representing the 11th state House District. Mustello received 5,263 votes...
Dziados leads in Democratic primary for chance to unseat Reschenthaler in Congress
Retired U.S. Army veteran Chris Dziados, with overwhelming support from his home county, appeared ahead in the race to secure the Democratic nomination in the 14th Congressional District. According to the unofficial results, Dziados will face incumbent Rep. Guy Reschenthaler in November. Dziados, 43, of South Strabane, Washington County, had...
Jill Cooper scores decisive win in GOP primary for 55th District House seat
First-term state Rep. Jill Cooper cruised to a commanding victory Tuesday night over challenger Jamie Lingg in the Republican primary race for the 55th District in northern Westmoreland County. Cooper, 62, garnered nearly 78% of 7,576 votes cast, according to the unofficial tally, with all 54 of the district’s precincts...
Erin McClelland of Harrison wins Democratic nomination for state treasurer
Erin McClelland of Harrison has won the Democratic Party’s nomination for state treasurer. With 100% or precincts reporting, McClelland had received about 54% of the votes over Ryan Bizzarro of Erie County, who had 46%. Bizzarro had received the Democratic Party’s endorsement. McClelland will face Republican Stacy L. Garrity in...
Democrat Pisciottano, Republican Dintini will vie to succeed retiring Sen. Jim Brewster
Democrat Nick Pisciottano and Republican Jen Dintini will vie in November to replace retiring Democratic state Sen. Jim Brewster. Pisciottano, 34, a state representative from West Mifflin, cruised to victory in the Democratic primary over Makenzie White, 29, of Brentwood, a social worker and environmental consultant. With 100% of precincts...
McAndrew secures Democratic nomination for 32nd District state House seat
State Rep. Joe McAndrew, who became a member of the state House in a special election last year, survived a challenge by Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. With 100% of precincts counted, McAndrew of Penn Hills received 6,779 votes over Calabrese’s 2,822, according to unofficial results....
Summer Lee beats Bhavini Patel in Democratic primary
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, cruised to a primary victory Tuesday night, vanquishing her Democratic challenger, Bhavini Patel. Lee, a progressive, took an early lead over the more moderate Edgewood councilwoman with a strong showing in mail-in ballots. Lee never looked back. With nearly 100% of precincts reporting, Lee won...
Allegheny County Police: Man in critical condition after being shot in Mt. Oliver
A man was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday afternoon after being shot in Mt. Oliver. Allegheny County Police said they were notified of a shooting around 1:35 p.m. along the 400 block of William Street. First responders found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Police said he was transported...
Students from former Soviet republics get taste of democracy
Aleksis Ratenieks stood outside a polling site in Hempfield on Tuesday morning, working with fellow Hempfield Area students to greet voters and see democracy in action during the primary election in Pennsylvania. “It really does make me appreciate democracy. It makes me appreciate democracy, with all that horrible stuff that...
Jury returns split verdict in teen’s 2021 slaying in Wilkinsburg
A jury on Tuesday returned a split verdict for two men charged with killing a teenager in Wilkinsburg in 2021. The panel found Deontae Nalls, 24, of Plum, and Daeshuan Smith, 22, of Penn Hills both not guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. However, the jury...
Pine earns Governor’s Award for environmental initiatives
Visitors to Pine’s municipal building will notice an abundance of signs and informational materials that promote recycling, pollution reduction and other environmentally friendly practices. People in Harrisburg have noticed, too. The township is a recipient of the Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence, one of 13 municipalities in Pennsylvania to...
Latrobe condemns 2 Ligonier Street rental properties
Latrobe officials have condemned two renter-occupied houses on Ligonier Street they say pose a health and safety hazard. City code enforcement officer Dan Weimer said Tuesday he’d learned that occupants of two apartments at 1207 Ligonier St. and of a three-story home at 1522 Ligonier St. have made arrangements to...
9th wrongful death suit filed in case of former nurse Heather Pressdee
A Kittanning nursing home is the latest to be sued in connection with a patient’s death tied to former nurse Heather Pressdee. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Facility in Kittanning and its parent company, Armstrong SNF Operator LLC. It is at least the ninth...
Remains found in Fayette County identified as missing 17-year-old girl
Skeletal remains found last week in Fayette County have been identified as a 17-year-old girl who was reported missing in November, according to Coroner Bob Baker. The remains found in North Union were that of Kaitlin Whoolery, he said. Authorities were led April 16 to an area near Washington Avenue...
Murrysville homeowners’ association wants dredged sediment cleared away
One of the main reasons homeowners associations exist is to ensure the neighborhoods they govern remain clean and tidy. It’s little wonder, then, that members of the Lyons Run Estates Homeowners Association are not pleased they’ve had several tons of dredged sediment sitting on their property for nearly two years....
Police: Copper wire theft suspects left identifying documents, receipt for tools at crime scene
Three Fayette County men were arrested after police said they stole more than 400 feet of telephone line and left behind a court custody notice identifying one of them, along with a receipt for tools that may have been used to remove the lines. State police in Belle Vernon were...
Kennywood kept Steel Curtain closure secret to bolster sales, lawsuit says
A New Kensington man is suing Kennywood, contending the West Mifflin amusement park withheld information about a seasonlong closure of its flagship attraction to bolster its season pass sales. Kennywood officials last week announced the Steel Curtain roller coaster would not open in the 2024 season, disappointing riders and leaving...
